Ohio

1. John Holmes

Born John Curtis Estes on August 8, 1944, in rural Pickaway County, Ohio, the youngest of four children, porn legend John Holmes was raised by a religious fanatic mother named Mary and an abusive alcoholic stepfather named Harold Bowman. He was a bible student, but at the age of 16 dropped out of ...

2. River Butcher

Actor | Take My Wife

River "RB" Butcher is a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor and writer. Originally from the Midwest, River grew up skateboarding the mean streets of Akron, Ohio. Their blue collar brand of cool has endeared audiences nationwide, as they have performed standup and appeared on shows such as ...

3. Allison Janney

Actress | The Help

Allison Janney is an award-winning actress who has earned a solid reputation in stage productions and in many supporting roles on screen, and who more recently has become prominent by portraying one of the major characters in the popular TV series The West Wing (1999).

Entertainment Weekly magazine ...

4. Paul Newman

Actor | The Hustler

Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history, Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, the second son of Arthur Sigmund Newman (died 1950) and Theresa Fetsko (died 1982). His elder brother was Arthur S. Newman Jr., named for ...

5. Halle Berry

Actress | Catwoman

Halle Maria Berry was born Maria Halle Berry on August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Oakwood, Ohio to Judith Ann Berry (née Hawkins), a psychiatric nurse & Jerome Jesse Berry, a hospital attendant. Her father was African-American and her mother is of mostly English and German descent. ...

6. Yvette Nicole Brown

Actress | Community

Yvette Nicole Brown is an Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer and host best known for her series-regular and Special Guest Star* roles on the television shows: "Community", "The Mayor", "Drake and Josh", "The Odd Couple", Disney Plus' "Big Shot" and "Act Your Age"* on Bounce TV.

And films as ...

7. Beverly D'Angelo

Actress | National Lampoon's Vacation

Intriguing, inspiring, and never less than interesting -- key adjectives in describing the career of Beverly D'Angelo, which has well passed the four-decade mark. Perhaps deserving better movies than she generally found herself in, she nevertheless was always an object of fascination and the one to...

8. Phyllis Diller

Actress | A Bug's Life

Diller put out an autobiography in 2005 in her late 80s, and entitled it "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse", which pretty much says it all when recalling the misfit life and career of the fabulous, one-of-a-kind Phyllis Diller. It may inspire all those bored, discouraged and/or directionless ...

9. Clark Gable

Actor | It Happened One Night

William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, to Adeline (Hershelman) and William Henry Gable, an oil-well driller. He was of German, Irish, and Swiss-German descent. When he was seven months old, his mother died, and his father sent him to live with his maternal aunt and uncle ...

10. Dean Martin

Soundtrack | The Dean Martin Show

Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, to Gaetano Alfonso "Guy" Crocetti, an Italian immigrant and barber, and his Ohio-born wife, Angela (Barra) Crocetti. He spoke only Italian until age five. Martin came up the hard way, with such jobs as a boxer ("Kid Crochet"), a steel mill ...

11. Ed O'Neill

Actor | Married with Children

Ed O'Neill is an American actor best known for playing Al Bundy on Married... with Children (1987), the most iconic working class character on television since Archie Bunker. Upon his debut on the world stage in Youngstown, Ohio on April 12, 1946, he was christened Edward Philip O'Neill, Jr. Both ...

12. Roy Rogers

Soundtrack | Cowboy and the Senorita

Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye) moved to California in 1930, aged 18. He played in such musical groups as The Hollywood Hillbillies, Rocky Mountaineers, Texas Outlaws, and his own group, the International Cowboys. In 1934 he formed a group with Bob Nolan called Sons of the Pioneers. While in that ...

13. Jonathan Winters

Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Jonathan Harshman Winters III was born on November 11, 1925 in Dayton, Ohio. His father, Jonathan Harshman Winters II, was a banker who became an alcoholic after being crushed in the Great Depression. His parents divorced in 1932. Jonathan and his mother then moved to Springfield to live with his ...

14. Adrianne Palicki

Actress | G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Adrianne Palicki was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Nancy (French) and Jeffrey Palicki. Her father is of Polish and Hungarian descent, and her mother is of English and German ancestry. Adrianne graduated from Whitmer High School. She did not take the stage in her first play until she was a sophomore at ...

15. Eric Kripke

Writer | The Boys

Eric Kripke is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of The CW fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005-2020), where he served as show-runner during the first five seasons. Kripke also created the post-apocalyptic drama series Revolution (2012-2014) and ...

16. John Henton

Actor | The Hughleys

John Henton was born on November 23, 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Hughleys (1998), Living Single (1993) and One on One (2001).

17. Arsenio Hall

Actor | Coming to America

Arsenio Hall was born on February 12, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Coming 2 America (2021) and Harlem Nights (1989).

18. Margaret Hamilton

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. Margaret had already built her resume ...

19. Daws Butler

Actor | Hey There, It's Yogi Bear

Daws Butler spent the greater part of his career as one of the premier voice-over actors in Hollywood- providing the voices for such well- known characters as Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick-Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Jinks the cat, Dixie the mouse, Augie Doggie, Peter Potamus, Wally Gator, ...

20. Kathryn Hahn

Actress | Afternoon Delight

Kathryn Marie Hahn is an American actress and comedian. She became a worldwide phenomenon when she starred as Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries WandaVision (2021) for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding ...

21. LaWanda Page

Actress | Friday

Best known for her role as Aunt Esther Anderson on "Sanford And Son", she appeared in many films including "Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood" (1996), "Friday" (1995), "The Legend of Dolemite" (1994), "West From North Goes South" (1993), "The Meteor Man" (1993...

22. Hal Williams

Actor | Guess Who

A veteran professional actor who has co-starred as a television series regular in NINE, prime time, HIT series, and has established himself solidly in both the areas of comedy and drama. Hal's latest projects include Disney Family Channel's Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008) and Hallmark's Generation Gap ...

23. Philip Baker Hall

Actor | Magnolia

Philip Baker Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Berdene (McDonald) and William Alexander Hall, a factory worker who was originally from Montgomery, Alabama. He did not start acting until he was 30 years old. Known to film fans for his turn as Richard Nixon in Robert Altman's one-man show film Secret...

24. Suzee Pai

Actress | Big Trouble in Little China

Suzee Pai was born Sue Frances Pai on August 8, 1962 in Toledo, Ohio. Pai did some fashion modeling in New York City and was a Liberty Bells cheerleader for the football team the Philadelphia Eagles. Moreover, Suzee was the Pet of the Month in the January, 1981 issue of "Penthouse." She appeared in...

25. Fred Willard

Actor | Best in Show

Fred Willard radiated a unique charm that established him as one of the industry's most gifted comic actors, first coming to prominence as ambitious but dimwitted sidekick Jerry Hubbard to Martin Mull's smarmy talk-show host Barth Gimble in the devastating satirical series Fernwood Tonight (1977). ...

26. Rob Lowe

Actor | St. Elmo's Fire

Rob Lowe was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Barbara Lynn (Hepler), a schoolteacher, and Charles Davis Lowe, a lawyer. His brother is actor Chad Lowe. He has German, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Lowe's family moved to Dayton, Ohio, when he was a child. Rob broke ...

27. Tanner Buchanan

Actor | Cobra Kai

Tanner Buchanan is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Leo Kirkman in the ABC political drama Designated Survivor and Robby Keene in the Netflix series Cobra Kai. He is also known for his role in the Nickelodeon television series Game Shakers as Mason Kendall.

28. Anne Heche

Actress | Six Days Seven Nights

Anne Celeste Heche was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She came to recognition portraying Vicky Hudson and Marley Love in the soap opera Another World (1964), which won her a Daytime Emmy Award and two Soap Opera Digest Awards. She came to mainstream prominence in the late 1990s ...

29. Wes Craven

Writer | A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.

Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on ...

30. Ray Wise

Actor | Batman: The Killing Joke

Raymond Herbert "Ray" Wise (born August 20, 1947) is an American actor. Some of his best-known roles include Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks (1990), henchman Leon C. Nash in RoboCop (1987), Jack Taggart Sr. in Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003), the Devil in the CW television series Reaper (2007), Donald ...

31. Richard Brooks

Director | Anticipation

Commanding actor Richard Brooks was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is an actor, director and singer. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks studied acting, dance, and voice work at Interlochen Academy of Arts in Michigan. Later, he moved to New York City and was a student of the Circle in the Square ...

32. Michael Patrick O'Brien

Actor | Booksmart

Michael Patrick O'Brien is known for Booksmart (2019), Saturday Night Live (1975) and A.P. Bio (2018).

33. Robert Patrick

Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Robert Hammond Patrick was born on November 5, 1958 in Marietta, Georgia, raised there and Boston, Mass., Dayton, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio. The eldest of five children. He attended the Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but dropped out after he took a drama course and ...

34. Alan Ruck

Actor | Twister

Alan Ruck was born on July 1, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, and has made over 100 appearances in films and television, and on stage. He is best known for his role as the friend of Matthew Broderick and hopeless hypochondriac Cameron Frye, in John Hughes's Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

During the 1980s...

35. Michael Hitchcock

Actor | The Resort

Michael Hitchcock was born in Defiance, Ohio and later raised in Western Springs, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He attributes many of his offbeat characters on his midwestern upbringing. Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University's School of Speech and a Master ...

36. Jamie Babbit

Director | But I'm a Cheerleader

Jamie Babbit was born on November 16, 1970 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA. She is a director and producer, known for But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Silicon Valley (2014) and Girls (2012). She was previously married to Karey Dornetto.

37. Caitlin Houlahan

Actress | Mare of Easttown

Caitlin Houlahan was born and raised in Aurora, Ohio. She graduated with a BM in Music Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University in 2014. Later that year she made her TV debut in Peter Pan Live! on NBC alongside Allison Williams, Minnie Driver, and Christopher Walken.

In 2016 she made her Broadway ...